Rambles

I was reminded again this morning how easy it can be to take some very nice pictures literally right outside the door. Granted, I am lucky to live in a pretty wonderful place. But even without that, if we keep our picture eyes open, pictures “just out the door” are usually there waiting to be discovered. We really don’t have to load up the car and travel for miles or hours to find photo possibilities.

I was sitting on the front porch having breakfast this morning and happened to open my eyes and my mind enough to see some water drops hanging from plants in a porch planter. It was a lovely, soft morning and I knew I didn’t have to rush so I finished breakfast and then at a leisurely pace went to get the camera and tripod – after washing up the breakfast dishes, of course.

Water lenses on plant stem

What had caught my eye was a particular piece of the plant, but once I got out there with the camera I started seeing other possibilities as well. I ended up shooting the equivalent of more that a long roll of film (remember film? Typically came in 20, 24 or 36 frame rolls?)

Pooling

I’m liking both the color and the black and white versions of these.

Pooling in Black and White

The best was saved for last. I had been concentrating on the leaves and water drops that had settled on them when at the very end of the row I noticed a little blotch of color. It was a lovely, jewel-like beetle covered in water droplets.

Jewel-like

When I stop to think of it, I have taken an unusually large percentage of my photographs within a very short distance of home. The possibilities are always there. The danger is letting the “near” become too familiar and overlooked. The secret is in keeping our eyes open.

Burdette

And it started so well. Ah well, it’s not like anyone is really reading this stuff anyway. There’s been a bit of a gap in entries here so we’ll call this entry “catch up” even though there may not be much catching of up.

This is one of my days to man the desk at our Guild’s Art Gallery. On a beautiful day like this most folks visiting the Tri-Lakes area are NOT wandering around downtown. The wise ones are out on, or in, the lakes keeping cool.

My little corner of the gallery this month

I’ve been back to visit our loon family. The chick’s gotten a bit bigger but other than that they are still pretty much loons and they do it very, very well.

Papa loon distracting attention

Passed through one of our local Farmer’s Markets last week end and got a few images though nothing very exciting. It’s just great to have the markets open and selling local produce and goods. Quite a change from just a few years ago.

Lots of Maple Syrup- a good local product

Nice setting for the market

Original beet generation

The most fun of the past couple of weeks was an Artist in the Garden outing we went to last weekend. The weather was exquisite, actually bordering on too hot for a change, and the garden was in glorious August abundance. It was a delightful day of art making, good company and good food. What more can you ask for on a summer Sunday?

Down the garden path.

Shadow shroud

Beware the Log Monster

Busy as a ...

This coming weekend here in the area is the first annual Plein Air Festival. I’m planning on participating so I should have some new images deal with from that. One of the frustrations of living where we do is the vast differences in the seasons in terms of general photogenicness (made-up word please forgive it). The springs, summers and falls have no shortage of highly photogenic subject material. Then comes winter which has a certain richness of it’s own but the choices are significantly reduced. It wouldn’t be a big problem but for the fact that winter runs about as long as the other three combined. So up here, the old adage: Make hay while the sun shines – is very apt.

Maybe what I should do with this is just keep on saying really stupid things and see if anyone notices. And if not? What the heck. It’s fun.